The Saucony Type A4 is a favorite racing flat around the office here, so we were excited to find out that Saucony planned to cut even more weight when introducing the Type A5. The midsole and outsole is unchanged from the Type A4, so all the weight reduction happens in the upper, which now uses a lightweight breathable mesh and FlexFilm™ overlays.

Weight is expected to drop from the current 6.3 oz to 5.6 oz (Men’s size 9). That’s over 10% weight loss in an already light shoe. Pretty flippin’ sweet, if you ask us.

What to Watch For

Lighter Upper: How do you go lighter than open mesh? Well, Saucony found a way with its new lightweight breathable mesh upper combined with bonded FlexFilm overlays for structural support. The FlexFilm also anchors the foot more securely to the platform of the shoe.

Same Ol’ Sole: The midsole and outsole of the A5 are unchanged from the A4. That’s welcome news for all of you who loved the low heel-to-toe drop, low stack height, and light, responsive ride of the A4.

New Pricing: MSRP is up five bucks compared to the A4, which isn’t all that bad considering the A4 came out almost two years ago and a bunch of technological development went into shaving almost three quarters of an ounce from an already lightweight shoe.